Title and statement of responsibility area
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BC Arts Council meeting records
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- textual record
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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
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1967-2009 (Creation)
- Creator
- British Columbia Arts Council
Physical description area
Physical description
2.34 m textual records
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Biographical history
The BC Arts Council was established by the Province in 1995 under the Arts Council Act (SBC 1995, c. 18). Between 2005 and 2010, it was within the Cultural Services Branch of the Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development, and its successors, the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. The Council is the successor body to the British Columbia Arts Board (1974-1995), which was originally established to replace a government-appointed advisory committee that administered the British Columbia Cultural Fund. The Council’s purpose is to provide support for arts and culture in British Columbia, provide persons and organizations with the opportunity to participate in the arts and culture in BC, and to provide an open, accountable, and neutrally administered process for managing funds for British Columbia arts and culture.
The Arts Council Act mandated that the BC Arts Council must consult and collaborate with arts and cultural organizations, artists and artists’ organizations, government ministries, local government and other communities. Furthermore, the Council is directed to support arts and culture in BC through public education, research, and advocacy, by awarding grants to any person or organization, and by the production and distribution of information about the council and arts and culture in British Columbia. In the 2015-2016 year, the Council received 2,902 grant applications, of which 1,455 – worth some $24 million - were funded.
Under the Arts Council Act, the BC Arts Council was to be composed of no more than 15 members who were broadly representative of the regions and artistic communities of British Columbia appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
The mission of the BC Arts Council is to engage all British Columbians in a health arts and cultural community that is recognized for excellence. Its core values include artistic excellence, recognition of the work of British Columbia’s artists, access to the arts for all British Columbians, consultation with artist and cultural communities, and Aboriginal engagement.
As of 2016, the BC Arts Council was located within the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development.
Custodial history
Records in accessions 91-1885 and 95-6570 were originally created by the BC Arts Board but entered the custody of the Arts and Cultural Development branch of the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development. It is likely that they were held by the BC Arts Council until transferal to the Archives.
Scope and content
The series consists of meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, reports, budgets, texts of speeches, grant applications and presentations created between 1967 and 2004 by the British Columbia Arts Council and its predecessor the British Columbia Arts Board. The records document the Council’s programs and funding decisions. Records include the names of organizations that requested grant funding, how much was requested, how much was awarded, and reasons for the decision. The records cover several branches of the arts in British Columbia, including visual arts, dance, and theatre. Early records document the establishment of the British Columbia Arts Board, and include correspondence to and from Sam Bawlf regarding appointments to the Board. The series also consists of the welcoming remarks to the first meeting of the BC Arts Board in 1974. The series also consists of records pertaining to the Centennial Cultural Fund Advisory Committee. The fund was created by premier WAC Bennett and was the first permanent assistance to the province’s cultural activities. Under order-in-council 2784 (1967), interest earned upon the Fund was to be disbursed to arts organizations through local arts councils. In its first year, $190,000 was granted to arts organizations and councils. In 1972, an order-in-council shortened the name to the “British Columbia Cultural Fund.”
The records are arranged by meeting and are generally in chronological order. Meeting packages frequently include records from various Arts Council committees, including the Music Advisory Committee, Literary and Publishing Advisory Committee, the Arts Festivals Committee, the Media Arts Committee, and the Community Arts Advisory Committee. The records are covered by ORCS 80100-04 of schedule 143933 (Cultural Services).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Transferred from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development in October 2016.
Containers 965130-0002 and 961203-0006 transferred from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development in May 2017.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Some records are restricted. Please contact BC Archives staff for further information and to arrange access.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
For records pertaining to the Centennial Cultural Fund, see GR-1414. For a proposal to the BC Arts Council, see PR-1251 (series MS-0894).
Accruals
General note
Accession number(s) : 91-1885, 95-6570, 96-1203. 96-5130
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
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Name access points
- British Columbia Arts Council (Subject)
- British Columbia Cultural Fund (Subject)